Why are you mad right now?

[Spaced Out Ace]

Sounds to me like getting a new part time job: searching for a new place of employment, preferably one in a field that isn't food related.

 

[TedEH]

As soon as I start reading something about how a person's job is treating them like garbage, I immediate assume it's food or retail. Something about that kind of business just never seems to treat people properly. I never did well in those environments. It strikes me as entry level work where you do it when you have to until you learn a basic work ethic and can do something better - where the people who have stuck around and advanced to higher ranks never seem to have got past their own entry-level people skills. You end up with those of no social skills managing people who are only there out of necessity, or who don't know any better.

Now, I didn't even bother responding, but what I really REALLY wanted to say was "working long hours doesn't make me feel burnt out, but busting my ass all the time just to feel like I'm getting fucked over sure as hell does. I don't want a fucking thank you and a pat on the back. I want to see that my hard work is actually being recognized, and I want something to show for it."

This may be great or terrible advice - but nothing will happen if you don't speak up for yourself. The message you typed up here -> IMO is exactly what you should have replied with. 100% honest, no matter how brutal it is. Putting on a face is neither going to improve your situation, nor make anyone feel better about it. Either the message will be received and things will improve, or it'll be received and a discussion about why things are they way they are can be had so that you can feel better about it, or it'll be poorly received and you might find yourself looking for better employment - but it sounds like better employment wouldn't be a bad thing necessarily. It's a win-win: Either the problem will be corrected, or steps will be taken to get you out of a non-fixable environment. My : Be honest, and be upfront about it, otherwise nothing will change.

 

[Mathemagician]

Wasn't sure if I should vent here or in the first world problems thread (cuz atleat l I'm lucky enough to be gainfully employed) but I just need to vent real quick.

Tell me, whats the greatest lie capitalists ever told the proletariat? That if you work hard you'll be rewarded. Well I've been working crazy hard the past 3 weeks. Between picking up shifts from an employee who was recently fired and covering for people who wanted time off, I've been putting in 45-55 hours a week (and busting my ass for all of it). Now I work in a restaurant and the most coveted shifts are prep shifts. All that entails is going in early and making a list of food to prep for the day and when you finish you get to go home. Now I've been given prep shifts before and have more than proven myself that I can work efficiently. Hell, I've even worked with the owner (who makes the schedule) and even she has commented on the speed and quality of my work. However, I lost all those prep shifts I was getting when the manager of the prep kitchen said his partner (a former employee) needed to come back and work prep to make money after her small business closed.

Now I understand seniority is a thing. Both of them have been there for 4 years, a little over twice as long as me. However, seniority should lose all it's value when someone's quality of work isn't up to the standards that have been set. I can't count the number of times we've ran out of stuff in the middle of service that we definitely should NOT be running out of, simply because they both wanted to dip out early.

None of this is lost on the kitchen manager (2nd in command, right after the owners). Me and him are pretty tight and he's been pushing for me to have more prep shifts since that's the kind of work I enjoy (solitary and with a set goal to work towards).

Now, imagine my reaction when I wake up this morning (getting ready to work my third double in a row) and I see that our new schedule has been posted for the next month.... And I don't have a single fucking prep shifts.

However what I did get was a text message from the owner (the person signing my paychecks) saying she "appreciates" all my hard work, bit how she's afraid that I'll get burnt out and to let her know if there's anything she "can do to help support" me.
Now, I didn't even bother responding, but what I really REALLY wanted to say was "working long hours doesn't make me feel burnt out, but busting my ass all the time just to feel like I'm getting fucked over sure as hell does. I don't want a fucking thank you and a pat on the back. I want to see that my hard work is actually being recognized, and I want something to show for it."

I'd understand if I was asking for a raise, but I'm not asking for more money. All I'm asking is to be rewarded for all the work I put into that place, bit so far I've gotten nothing.

Anyways, feels good to type that out and get it off my chest. Anyone else ever been in a similar situation where you feel like your hard work goes unnoticed, or like it doesn't really matter how hard you work because either way the out come is always gonna be the same?

If you are good and dependable s hard-working at a low wage job, you will 100% be taken advantage of. Given the mid-week close then open shifts, moved to random days/evenings based on the demands of the more flakey employees etc.

Kitchens in particular are hard to keep good workers so they will grind you.

First things first: seniority is some baby-boomer bullshit. You work there, others don’t. You can power play and tell your boss you’ll walk if you don’t get prep shifts as well, or you can walk.

Second it’s retail, so whoever the boss likes that particular day is going to get favorable treatment.

“Working hard and get rewarded” stopped when companies started outsourcing all the good desk jobs to other countries. There are fewer and fewer good jobs that aren’t in some way soft-skills (sales in some way) related.

I’m not decrying anything. I’m just trying to clarify to you that you seem to WANT to work hard and “move up”.

1) That doesn’t really happen in retail
2) If you work hard at a crap job you’ll get dumped with all the crap assignments the flakes won’t do

Do with that what you will.

 

[TedEH]

2) If you work hard at a crap job you’ll get dumped with all the crap assignments the flakes won’t do

I suppose another way to put this is that, sure, hard work can lead to rewards, but that hard work needs to be directed to the right place. Throwing hard work at a job that doesn't appreciate it won't go anywhere. IMO, if you're willing to put in the hard work, then go out and look for a job that not only needs that work ethic, but appreciates it.

 

[Seabeast2000]

If you are good and dependable s hard-working at a low wage job, you will 100% be taken advantage of. Given the mid-week close then open shifts, moved to random days/evenings based on the demands of the more flakey employees etc.

Kitchens in particular are hard to keep good workers so they will grind you.

First things first: seniority is some baby-boomer bullshit. You work there, others don’t. You can power play and tell your boss you’ll walk if you don’t get prep shifts as well, or you can walk.

Second it’s retail, so whoever the boss likes that particular day is going to get favorable treatment.

“Working hard and get rewarded” stopped when companies started outsourcing all the good desk jobs to other countries. There are fewer and fewer good jobs that aren’t in some way soft-skills (sales in some way) related.

I’m not decrying anything. I’m just trying to clarify to you that you seem to WANT to work hard and “move up”.

1) That doesn’t really happen in retail
2) If you work hard at a crap job you’ll get dumped with all the crap assignments the flakes won’t do

Do with that what you will.

This man speaks the truth.

 

[Mathemagician]

I suppose another way to put this is that, sure, hard work can lead to rewards, but that hard work needs to be directed to the right place. Throwing hard work at a job that doesn't appreciate it won't go anywhere. IMO, if you're willing to put in the hard work, then go out and look for a job that not only needs that work ethic, but appreciates it.

Yes this is 100% the point I was going for. I just listed examples for anyone whose thinking “No, surely MY crap job is different. My boss was even kind of nice to me this week.”

 

[KnightBrolaire]

In my experience, better to be the flake than the hard worker (I've been both over the years). You just get shafted for being a tryhard. When I was in college I worked in a liquor store and explicitly told the manager what days/times I could work (4-close thurs-sun), which they said would be fine. A few weeks later they start changing the schedule and trying to get me to come in wed-sat, which was a bit harder to do because of how late my classes ran on wednesdays. I still did it without complaint for months. Then the fuckers started throwing me in filler shifts wherever they wanted. I told the manager that I couldn't do those shifts, they said ok, and tried to keep me on them, even though I told them I couldn't really do them. On top of that, they had me rotating between stock and cashier (which I absolutely hated). That's the only job I've ever walked away from without giving 2 weeks notice.

 

[TedEH]

better to be the flake than the hard worker

I dunno that I can agree with that - because it's contributing to the problem by example, instead of helping anyone fix anything. If everyone flakes, nothing ever improves.

I think a distinction can also be made between a "job" and a "career" here maybe - there are probably jobs that aren't worth the effort, but if you think of the place as not worth being any better than another flake, then what you need is a career change IMO. Either that, or you might actually be the problem.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

better to be the flake than the hard worker

It's actually better to be somewhere in the middle.

Do what you have to do, and do it well, but don't pick up all the slack.

There's a nice happy medium between a slacker and a pounder. Get the balance right and you'll be seen as hard working and dependable without killing yourself and burning out.

You can be a good, hard worker and fail/not do a given task, and that's okay. You need to show management that you do need help. If you do everything all the time, you're telling them you don't need good help.

Being the slacker just makes you even more disposable than you already are. Sure, it's usually easier, but studies have shown that being apathetic to your work makes you resent it more and less happy overall, even if the workload is less.

@broj15 do you like foodservice? If your heart isn't in it, perhaps look at changing careers. I highly recommend investigating trades locally. Look up the local union halls of Steamfitters, Electricians, Machinists, etc. They'll have materials available to start you on the path to a great, eternally in demand career that can be incredibly lucrative, even as an apprentice (I personally know apprentices in various trades that bring home $50k+ a year).

 

[efiltsohg]

harvard is/has been in trouble for supposedly having racial quotas. they've supposedly been turning away equally or better qualified asian students in favor of other minorities due to subjective personality qualities they extrapolate from the interview process. the best part is that when alumni interviewed the same people they consistently scored them higher on their personality/other qualities.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-...lawsuit-against-harvard-judge-s-hands-n971776

https://www.wsj.com/articles/harvar...or-final-time-in-boston-courtroom-11550103739

That has been the case at almost every western university for decades

 

[Ordacleaphobia]

However what I did get was a text message from the owner (the person signing my paychecks) saying she "appreciates" all my hard work, bit how she's afraid that I'll get burnt out and to let her know if there's anything she "can do to help support" me.
Now, I didn't even bother responding, but what I really REALLY wanted to say was "working long hours doesn't make me feel burnt out, but busting my ass all the time just to feel like I'm getting fucked over sure as hell does. I don't want a fucking thank you and a pat on the back. I want to see that my hard work is actually being recognized, and I want something to show for it."

I'd understand if I was asking for a raise, but I'm not asking for more money. All I'm asking is to be rewarded for all the work I put into that place, bit so far I've gotten nothing.

Anyways, feels good to type that out and get it off my chest. Anyone else ever been in a similar situation where you feel like your hard work goes unnoticed, or like it doesn't really matter how hard you work because either way the out come is always gonna be the same?

Heard you loud and clear, brother. I remember my stint in foodservice- and it was exactly like this. Preference for prep included.

Anyway, it sounds like most of your problem here is nepotism rather than seniority. This person gets to just waltz back into whatever they want because they're personally affiliated with the higher-ups. That is a stark character reflection on your management, and tells me all that I need to know to conclude that I would never be able to work in a place like that. Any person in management that is willing to so obviously hand out benefits to those that they're related to is not a good manager, and never will be until they recognize that problem.

That said, it sounds like the owner in your situation is potentially more reasonable. Given the message you cite here, it sounds like she at least cares, and knows that giving you the shaft like that is fucked up. What you need to do is figure out why. If there was no real reason (and I don't mean real as in obvious, real as in 'put yourself in management's shoes and try your hardest to be objective') for you to get screwed like this, then my advice is to start looking for a different job, because this situation will never, ever improve.

If, however, there is some kind of proper reasoning behind the decision (whether or not you agree with it), I would send her that message. Clean it up a bit, obviously, be less confrontational, but communicating all of the points you mentioned in there would be huge for a supervisor that does genuinely give a shit. Most proper managers LOVE to hear these types of complaints because it provides them with an opportunity to actually do their job; they have an opportunity to improve the workplace and their relationship with their staff. Assuming you come at it from a reasonable angle in a non-confrontational, respectful manner and take care to ensure that everything you mention can be solidly backed up, you can only benefit. And if they respond negatively, hey- fuck those guys. You don't want to work for people like that anyway, they aren't worth your time, and if you're good, finding another job in that industry is cake.

Hope things work out dude; I know that's not a fun place.

 

[Mathemagician]

When I worked In food I gave them the days/times I could work during school. One of them was a weekday where I did a morning shift Because I had a 2:30 class.

The weeks that the assistant manager made the schedule they would assign themselves that shift and put me on a later shift because they wanted to leave early.

I ignored their schedule completely and showed up early anyways. The manager asked me the first time “what are you doing here?” And I just replied “work”. When they told me my shift I just deadpanned “I don’t know what you want from me I have class and I’m not skipping it.”

We had a revenue share bonus setup, so the more we sold the more we made.

Not a single other person wanted to work saturday nights nor wanted to fuck with the guy who would work weekend evenings and chat up anyone under the sun to sell products, and never called out drunk or high or whatever.

The manager eventually just scheduled us both on for the morning shift.

 

[broj15]

Thanks for all the responses and advice guys. It's definitely appreciated and helps me feel like my feelings on the issue are valid. Honestly, I do enjoy my job and alot of my coworkers, but I just dislike the favoritism shown towards some of the old heads simply because them and the owners "go way back". I know my work is appreciated and they show that as much as they can (went from having no restaurant experience - aside from a side gig washing dishes for a catering company - to being part of the management team in less than a year), and considering the amount of responsibility I actually have there I'm paid very well ($13/hr + tips.... Not bad for a counter service restaurant). Before this I worked retail for 8 years and then had a brief stint in manual labor before moving to the city and getting this job. Honestly I'd never EVER go back to retail as it's the most soul crushing line of work I can imagine, especially when you don't believe in what you're trying to sell.

In response to Max's post, I have thought about getting into a trade, and I'm good friends with a guy who is a left leaning activist and is heavily involved with alot of the local unions/would absolutely love to help anyone get started on that path. On the other hand I also really really enjoy cooking for people, and kinda like the dynamic of a kitchen (at least the people that are actually down in the shit with me. There's a sense of camaraderie you feel with your coworkers after you make it through a super busy service and I really enjoy that feeling.

Either way, thanks for the kind words y'all. Been on this site for over 5 years now and it still has one of the best communities on the net.

 

[Kaura]

Second day in a row some fucking dick steals my lunch (a sandwich) at work. I even named it today so nobody wouldn't take it by accident because the sandwiches goes to stores through our warehouse and sometimes we get them for free when they're close to expiring but still, wtf. I swear if I catch that motherfucker he/she will be either unemployed or dead.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Second day in a row some fucking dick steals my lunch (a sandwich) at work. I even named it today so nobody wouldn't take it by accident because the sandwiches goes to stores through our warehouse and sometimes we get them for free when they're close to expiring but still, wtf. I swear if I catch that motherfucker he/she will be either unemployed or dead.

Here's what you do:

Tomorrow, make two sandwiches. Do something to differentiate the two sandwiches, but nothing that stands out too much. Rip the bread in a distinguishable way, or add lettuce. Something innocuous. Now the fun part. One sandwich, make delicious. The other, put sand in it. Make sure it gets in the bread and any condiments. A sandwich, if you will.

It won't hurt them, but will be unpleasant. Likely enough so they won't mess with your stuff again, and with any luck you'll find out who it is.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

I always keep my food in a cooler tucked away in an area far away from the break room. People can't steal shit if they can't find it or get to it.

 

[Seabeast2000]

I always keep my food in a cooler tucked away in an area far away from the break room. People can't steal shit if they can't find it or get to it.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

nah, I keep it in a biohazard container actually

 

[MFB]

nah, I keep it in a biohazard container actually

Does it include the 5th member of the band, Tera Patrick, or just the classic lineup?

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Does it include the 5th member of the band, Tera Patrick, or just the classic lineup?

duh classic lineup.